Packers TV blackout?

January 2, 2014

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) - It seems unthinkable that Lambeau Field wouldn't sell out for a Packers playoff game. Yet thousands of tickets are still available for Sunday's wild-card game against the 49ers.

The team says about 7,500 tickets were still available as of Wednesday afternoon.

A Press-Gazette Media report says according to NFL rules, the game has to sell out by Thursday at 3:40 p.m. to avoid a local TV blackout. That's 72 hours before kickoff. However, the league has given extensions in previous years for playoff games, and it's monitoring the Packers' progress.

Part of the reason tickets are available is that an early deadline for season-ticket holders to reserve tickets arrived when the team was mired in a five-game winless streak.